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Abstract

The following is a policy executive brief Alcee Lamar Hastings, Democratic member of the United States House of representatives. It assess his ideological makeup, his campaign financing support, voting patterns, and a wide range of other factors that influenced his 2014 campaign for re-election.  The paper addresses and recommends a solution for a health reform implementation challenge. My state congressional race for the US House of Representatives (Mid-term election cycle 2014) is Alcee Hastings FL District 20th. I chose Alcee Hastings due to his impressive state of longevity in the House of Representatives serving well over 20 years. He has clearly established himself as a favored candidate based on the fact that he won by 81.6% in the 2014 general election for Florida District 20 and won by 79% in the primary.

The following provides his political perspective on the health reform issue as strength or weakness in the candidate’s bid for a congressional seat. Specifically in regards to healthcare, Hastings clearly defined his support of the Affordable Care Act when he voted against Healthcare reform rules, House Amendment 450. This was a controversial bill that ushered in a wide range of issues related to healthcare reform that were introduced to the 113^th Congress. The position Hastings took on these issues were reflected in his voting patterns and ultimately served as his policy platform on which he ran in the 2014 mid-term election. Such issues included House Amendment 450 and the “Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act”. As the Affordable Care Act has been a controversial issue, with Republicans and Democrats alike questioning its effectiveness and implementation, Hastings voting against congressional supervision of the bill could be viewed as bias in favor of the administration. Hasting’s aggressive position on the House Amendment 450 to reform the Affordable Care Act, could negatively impact his chances at re-election if the healthcare bill becomes a financial burden on the tax payers of his district.

Through an assessment of a wide range of data retrieved on the candidate’s record, both those dating back to his initial start in the House of Representatives as well as his most recent activities including his 2014 campaign for re-lection, a policy executive brief has been drafted to establish a comprehensive understanding of Alcee Hasting as a political candidate and representative. In addition to an in depth look at the ideological motivations driving Hastings, and an in depth analysis of his campaign finances has also been assessed, and his voting track record is evaluated to better understand the role he has played over the past two decades in office and how his recent political stances impact the 2014 election.

Introduction

Alcee Lamar Hastings is a member of the United States House of Representatives, who traces his origin to Altamonte Springs, FL, 1936. He represents Florida’s 20th Congressional District and was elected, for the first time, in 1992 to the U.S. House of representatives. He recently ran for re-election to the U.S. House of representatives and earned the democratic nomination on November 4^th, 2014.  Hastings follows the party line on the majority of proposed bills. Born in Altamonte Springs, FL, Hastings attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as Howard University and Florida A&M where he attained his J.D. Hastings started his law career in 1963. Between 1977 and 1979, Hastings served as a Circuit Court judge for Broward County, Florida. In 1979, President Carter appointed Hastings to the position of U.S. District Judge. He held this position for ten years from 1979 to 1989 overseeing the Southern District of Florida. It was in 1993 when Hasting was elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives 23^rd Congressional District of Florida. In 2013, Hasting ran for office in the 20^th Congressional district where he serves as a representative to this day. Between 2013 and 2014 Hastings served on the Committee on Rules. The year prior, 2011 to 2012, he served on the United States Committee on Rules as a part of the subcommittee on Legislative and budget processing as the Chariman. He also permanently selected as the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Intelligence, and served as the Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Removal from bench

Hastings, was removed from his position serving as the judge for the Southern District of Florida. On October 20^th, 1989. He was impeached based on allegations of “corrupt conspiracy” in an extortion case. He was acquitted by a jury on the charge of accepting a $150,000 bribe, but still impeached from his judicial position by a Senate vote of 69 for and 26 against. Despite this controversial pitfall in his life, Hastings has continued to be successful in getting elected to public office.

Alcee L. Hastings – Sponsored Legislation by Subject

The key issues which Hastings ran on in the 2013-2014 election mainly stem from his voting patterns during his time in office. These include issues like: Emergency Management, Environmental Protection, Taxation, Armed Forces and National Security Immigration, Public Lands and Natural Resources, Health, Private, legislation, Animal Rights. Government Operations and Politics, Labor and Employment, Transportation and Public Works, Crime and Law Enforcement, Housing and Community Development, and Energy. Out of the 55,401 bills introduced to the 113th Congress, 55  have been enacted into law. This accounts for 1 percent of the actual bills presented that have been enacted since November 30, 2013. In comparison, 1.14 of the bills presented to the 112th Congress have been enacted. The following represents a breakdown of Hasting voting record throughout the 113^th Congress.

Healthcare

The passing of the Affordable Care Act ushered in a wide range of issues related to healthcare reform that were introduced to the 113^th Congress. The position Hastings took on these issues were reflected in his voting patterns and ultimately served as his policy platform on which he ran in the 2014 mid-term election. Such issues included House Amendment 450 and the “Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act”. As the Affordable Care Act has been a controversial issue, with Republicans and Democrats alike questioning its effectiveness and implementation, Hastings voting against congressional supervision of the bill could be viewed as bias in favor of the administration.

Healthcare Reform Rules

Hastings’s vote in regards to Healthcare reform rules, specifically House Amendment 450, requiring Congressional approval for the enactment of any regulations under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, was along the Democratic Party line as he voted against the amendment. Despite his vote, the amendment passed in the House with a vote of 227 for and 185 against, on August 2^nd, 2013. The amendment mandates that any reforms made to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act policies must first be approved by Congress before they can effect.

Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act

In line with his vote on the Healthcare Reform Rules, Hastings also voted against HR 2009, also known as the “Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act of 2013.” The bill still passed in the House with a vote of 232 for and 185 against on August 2, 2013. The main premise of the bill is that it would reduce the use of powers provided to the IRS and Treasury Secretary in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Hastings voted in accordance with the Democratic Party line on this healthcare bill as well.

National security

National Security has always been a major concern within the political landscape, but gained a new perceived importance following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Recent legislation, such as the Department of Homeland Security Appropriation Act and House Amendment 69 regarding the DHS Appropriation Act put National Security at the forefront of the 2014 mid-term election. Hastings votes in 2013 on this issues shaped his policy platform for the election.

DHS Appropriations

On the issue of national security, particularly the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriation Act, on June 6, 2013, Hastings took a stance in opposition to HR 2217. The bill was drafted to allocate money to select government agencies mainly for the purpose of enhancing homeland security efforts. The funding, which amounts to $38,993,000. The bill had 245 vote for it and 182 votes against it. Hastings voted along the Democratic Party line, who largely opposed the bill.

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Hastings voted for Amendment 69, a potential amendment to HR 3. This Amendment requires the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in collaboration with other organizations like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), launch a study investigating the potential threat of a terrorist attack on the Keystone pipeline. The purpose of the bill was to ensure that the necessary precautions are set to percent such an event. The amendment was rejected and did not pass in the House on May 22, 2013. This was due to the fact that 176 voted for it and 239 against it. In regards to national security, this issue touched many controversial issues that Floridians, specifically those that among Hasting’s constituents shared concern over.

CISPA (2013)

Hastings voted for HR 624, also known as the CISPA (2013). On April 18, 2013, the House signed off on the bill through a vote of 288 for and 127 against. This was a controversial bill as it enables federal organizations that specialize in security and intelligence, to share their cybersecurity data with private, companies, utilities, or other entities. Republicans favored this bill, but it caused conflicts among Democrats.

Economy

While most data retrieved reveals Hastings’s constituents do not view him as being strong in regards to economic policy, there are certain economic issues that Floridians in particular identify as important, which Hasting sponsored to be more in line with the needs and concerns of his constituency than his actual party. One key example would be the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, otherwise known as the Fame Bill.

Farm Bill

The Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 was approved by the U.S. House on January 29th, 2014. Also known as H.R. 2642, or the Farm Bill. The bills was passed with 251 votes for it and 166 votes against it.  The bill strikes a chord with many of Hasting’s Florida constituents who manage fresh market farms. The bill reformed and reaffirmed many programs put in place by the Department of Agriculture through the 2018 fiscal year. The bill accounted for $1 trillion in funding allocated to enhance the reach of crop insurance over the next 10 years by as much as $7 billion. The bill also establishes possible subsidies to help peanut and rice farmers when prices decline. The bill also applies cuts to food stamp program for an estimated $90 per month. This made the bill more controversial as it’s expected to impact over 1.7 million people across 15 states. Hastings, along with 88 representatives, affiliated with the Democratic Party, voted for the bill.

Immigration

As Florida is a central location for immigration from Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and migration from other regions of the United States, the issue of immigration policy is of significant importance to Hastings and his district. Not only is this fact reflected in his voting patter in 2013, but it also served as a major talking point during his 2014 campaign.

Morton Memos

Hastings voted in opposition to Amendment 136 in the house, which prevents the use and of the Immigration Executive Order and the ability to enforce its regulations. With a vote of 224 for and 201 against, on June 6, 2013, the House passed the amendment. The main objective of the amendment was to limit funds allocated to enforce regulations in the Morton Memos. The vote largely followed party lines, but a byproduct of the Morton Memos Prohibition was that Alcee Hastings made immigration a major talking point of his platform in the 2014 campaign. It served as one of the key running issues in his 2014 campaign.

Hastings’s Ideology

GovTrack’s bill sponsorship analysis finds Hastings to be a “far-left Democratic leader” (GovTrack, 2014). They base these findings on the fact that his bills have had an estimated 310 cosponsors in the 113^th Congress. GovTrack performed an ideology analysis, where they assigned a liberal–conservative rating to Congress members based on their pattern of cosponsorship. Members of Congress who reportedly cosponsor a number of bills were placed closer together on a chart respective to other members, who would be placed further apart if they voted in favour of other bills. The main thesis of this methodology is that Congress members with similar political views tend to cosponsor a significant portion of similar bills. GovTrack produced the following chart to assess Hasting’s positions relative to other members of the House.

GovTravk (2014)

The above chart reveals that Hastings continuously votes in ways that are increasingly far left. The chart reveals him to be one of the more liberal members of the Democratic Party.

The above chart assessing Hastings’s voting record was taken from GovTrack’s ideology analysis. It shows that between Jan 1993 and Nov 2014, Hastings missed 1,258 of 14,596 roll call votes. This accounts for 8.6% of the overall roll call votes, and is significantly higher than the average 2.5% missed roll votes missed by most members of representatives over the course of their lifetime records serving.

National security

American response in Syria

On August 29, 2013, over 50 House Democrats signed a letter calling for a congressional resolution on strikes. The letter cautioned against entering a war in Syria. Hasting signed this letter requesting that the Obama administration work with the U.N. Security Council to develop an international stance against the war.

Elections 2014

During the 2014 election, Hastings ran for re-election. Hastings won both the Democratic primary election and the general election.

The above table shows the projected results for the 2014 primary and general election, while the table below shows the actual results for the 2014 Primary and general election. Both reveal that Hastings was, by far, the favored candidate. This could be attributed to the fact that Hastings outraised, in campaign financing, all of his competitors in both primary and general elections.

Hastings ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, to represent Florida’s 20th District. Hastings won Democratic nomination as well as the general election. The table below shows the results of the 2012 general election for U.S. House, Florida District 20.

In addition to a substantial edge in campaign financing, Hastings also held the advantage of being the incumbent representative in both the 2012 and 2014 elections.

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor history

Comprehensive donor data related to Hastings and his previous campaigns reveals contribution amounts as far back as 2000. Available campaign finance records reveal that Hastings raised over $3,930,009 between 2002 and 2012.

Alcee L. Hastings – Campaign Contributions

An assessment of the differences in campaign financing between Hastings and his primary competitors during both the primary and general election reveals a significant discrepancy in funding.

Comparing the table above with Hastings running totals to those below displaying Jean Enright’s running totals and Jay Bonner’s running total it becomes clear neither of Hasting’s opponents had the necessary capital to run ad campaigns, or run programs to reach constituents to the same extent as Hastings. Hastings outraised both of his opponents by more than 1000%.

The above chart shows that over the course of the election cycle, Hastings was able to raise nearly half the average house member campaign budget and still remain an incumbent representative. This reflects on his favor within his district and constituency.  While Hastings raised a little under $700,000 in campaign financing, it should be noted that this is far below the average amount of 1.6 million in 2014.

The above data is taken from the 2013-2014 election cycle and based on estimates retrieved by the Federal Election Commission. The chart above breaks down Hastings’s 2014 campaign contributions into sources such as small individual contributions, large individual contributions, PAC contributions, Candidate self-financing and other. The chart reveals that a nearly half of the money, specifically 49%, contributed to the Hastings 2013-2014 campaign run came from individual contributions, while 47% came from PAC contributions.

Investigative work Methodology

Through an assessment of a wide range of data retrieved on the candidate’s record, both those dating back to his initial start in the House of Representatives as well as his most recent activities including his 2014 campaign for re-lection, a policy executive brief has been drafted to establish a comprehensive understanding of Alcee Hasting as a political candidate and representative. In addition to an in depth look at the ideological motivations driving Hastings, an in depth analysis of his campaign finances has also been assessed, and his voting track record is evaluated to better understand the role he has played over the past two decades in office and how his recent political stances impact the 2014 election.

Recommendations

The voting records reveal that Hastings has been voting increasingly more liberal on issues. This in part could be due to the fact that his missed roll call voting has substantially decreased during the final years of the Obama administration due to an increase in initiatives presented by his party, or it could be a case of Hastings voting more in line with his conscience before potential retirement. According to vote ratings published by the National Journal Hastings was ranked 80^th in liberal ranking in 2011, ranked 75^th in 2012 and ranked 14^th in 2013. This demonstrates that his voting record is becoming increasingly more liberal as he votes in support of broad Democratic Party ideals. Data shows that 95.6 percent of the time Hastings voted along with his party in 2014 and in 2013 he voted 95 percent of the time with the party. In regards to his stance on Healthcare reform, it could be recommended that he take a more central stance on policies related to the Affordable Care Act and its enforcement as the medical industry is substantially represented throughout his district. The problem with making recommendations about Hastings’s and his strengths or weaknesses as a candidate is that he out numbers potential contenders for his seat in both experience and campaign financing. With his recent 2014 win, he proves that Florida’s 23^rd District is perfectly content with a far left representative who favors the Affordable Care Act, green energy prioritization and looser regulations on gun control. He knows his constituency.

Conclusions and lessons learned

Over the course of assessing Hastings during his midterm election, it became clear as a Democratic leader, he is in tune with both the views of his party and constituents. I base this finding on the substantial campaign contributions provided to him by the respective districts and on the fact that he received a 79% majority vote in his District to win the election. While the position Hastings took voting in favor of the Affordable Care Act and opposing congressional interference with the rule making and enforcement process of the bill, is not a view that shares a political majority; it is also clear that Hastings has voted along with his party against many issues in the House that have been passed due to a majority Republican vote. This suggests his policies play less of an impact on retaining his incumbency than other factors, such as campaign financing. One major lesson I learned from reviewing the data on Hastings’s 2014 campaign is that campaign financing most likely played the largest role in him getting re-elected. The data shows he outmatched all of the other candidates in campaign financing by more than 2000%. A difference in campaign financing of this magnitude can’t be overlooked as a contributing factor to his win. While his position on healthcare reform arguably made him a weaker candidate in the eyes of some moderates and conservatives, his political ideology is too far left for him to have been an incumbent representative for over 20 years, and to earn over 70% of his district’s popular vote without the lion share of his constituency sharing his views. Some reports suggest that this term will be Hastings’s last term in office due to his personal desire to retire. Based on the data, I have to conclude that Hastings will be able to remain an incumbent in the House for as long as he wants or until another candidate can arise with a competitive enough campaign financing support.

References

BallotOpedia.org (2014). U.S. house florida district 20 general election results. Ballotopedia.org

Florida Secretary of State (2012) “Official Election Results, 2012 General Election” Florida Secretary of State.

GovTrack (2014). Rep alice hastings. Political ideology.

OpenSecrets.org (2014). Campaign contributions. Retrieved from OpenSecrets.org.